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Healthy Diet for Children

Everyone is aware that children must eat right and stay active to lead healthy lives, but what constitutes "healthy"? Choosing the right types and amounts of fruits, vegetables, grains and proteins is essential to ensuring a nutritious diet for your child.

  1. Familiarizing Yourself with the Food Pyramid

    • Although most adults are familiar with the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) food pyramid, a guide for a healthy diet, few know that the USDA also has a food pyramid for children. This guide is a simplified version of the adult food pyramid, and guides children in healthy and safe eating and exercising habits. In addition to illustrating what types of food children should consume, the pyramid also illustrates how many items from each food group children should aim to consume daily.

    Understanding the Pyramid's Shape

    • Although the food pyramid was once composed of boxed regions, the guide has been modified to better represent the quantity of food items that should be consumed. The food pyramid, both for adults and kids, is now composed of six colorful sections, each one shaded by diagonal lines. The six sections take up a unique amount of space on the pyramid, indicating that children should eat more of some types of food than others. The six sections on the pyramid represent grains, fruits, vegetables, meat and beans (protein), dairy and oils.

    Eating the Right Amount of Each Group

    • According to the children's version of the food pyramid, children should aim to consume at least 6 ounces of grains daily; of these, 3 ounces should be from whole-wheat sources. In addition, children should eat approximately 2 1/2 cups of vegetables and 1 1/2 cups of fruit daily. If over the age of eight, children should consume 3 cups of milk, and children who are between the ages of two and eight should consume 2 cups of milk. Finally, children are advised to eat 5 ounces of protein from meats or beans a day. Overall, children should aim to consume just 1,800 calories a day.

    Choosing the Right Foods for Each Group

    • Although some products are a part of the six separated sections---for example, butter is a dairy product---the food pyramid helps to differentiate each type of food. The guide suggests that to obtain optimum health, children should attempt to consume a variety of vegetables of different colors. In addition, the guidelines suggest that more than half of the grains consumed should be whole wheat as opposed to white-flour products. In addition, oil is now a food group, as scientists believe these products are good for brain and heart development, but the pyramid advises children to consume oils made from fish, nuts and vegetables only.

    Exercise as Part of a Balanced Diet:

    • In addition to eating a variety of healthy foods, the food pyramid also illustrates the importance of exercise and physical activity as part of a nutritious, healthy diet. While exercise is not a food, it provides a way to relinquish unnecessary calories and rejuvenate the body. Children are advised to participate in physical activities, including riding bikes, roller-skating, running, playing sports, stretching and climbing stairs for at least 45 minutes daily.

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